


Ironbellies, Antipodeans, and Chinese Fireballs -- oh my!

by areyoucoldflash (hellosterek)



Series: KillerWave Week [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Dragons, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 05:04:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7154696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellosterek/pseuds/areyoucoldflash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new shop moves into Hogsmeade that has underage wizards buzzing with excitement and curiosity. Caitlin, the only one old enough in their trio to actually enter, is persuaded to go in by Cisco and Barry. She learns a few things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ironbellies, Antipodeans, and Chinese Fireballs -- oh my!

**Author's Note:**

> A part of KillerWave Week on Tumblr.

Caitlin ran her hand over the egg, the cool hard shell smooth against her fingertips. Her hand shifted toward another, a green one with orange spirals and blunt spikes.

“Can I help you?”

Caitlin startled at the gruff voice, spinning around. She stared at the heavily built shop owner, eyes running over the light blue shirt that stretched over his chest, not at all surprised by the muscles of his tattooed arms.

“Um,” she floundered, glancing toward the door. Underage wizards were pressing their faces to the glass, tripping over one another in their eagerness to glimpse the inside of the new shop that had moved into Hogsmeade. Underage wizards were forbidden from entering — a few had already tried and had been sent to the infirmary with second-degree burns. Barry and Cisco, upon seeing this, came up with the idea of her going into the shop alone since she was the only one among them of age.

Barry and Cisco, like the idiots they were, were at the front of the crowd, sitting on the doorstep with their breath fogging up the glass. They saw her looking and grinned, giving her two thumbs up.

She smiled weakly and turned back to the shop owner. “I -- I’m just looking.”

The man looked toward the front door with a sigh, shaking his head at the nosy little brats smearing up the glass. “Those your friends out there?”

She looked at him guiltily. “Unfortunately.”

He snorted, lips twitching. He fiddled with a rag in his hands and eyed her up and down for a moment before jerking his head to the side. “Might as well show ya a few things while yer here.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, I—“

He smirked. “Relax, princess. Just gonna teach you a few things about the eggs is all.”

“Oh,” she muttered quietly, hesitantly following him further into the shop. “Okay.”

“This one here,” he began, pointing to a large egg on the table. “This is the Ukrainian Ironbelly. Ever heard of it?”

She shook her head, running her fingertips along the smooth shell. “Not much. It’s the big one, right?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, the big one. It’s the biggest species ever recorded. A bipedal breed that can grow up to six tons. Bein’ so big, it’s slower than most dragons, but just ‘cause it’s slower don’t mean it ain’t dangerous. This baby would crush anything it landed on.”

Caitlin widened her eyes and took a small step away from the egg, as if it would crack open to reveal a rapidly growing dragon that would sit on her.

The shop owner raised his eyebrows. “That ain’t nothin’ compared to the Hungarian Horntail. Those babies are nasty. Don’t go near ‘em if you can help it.” He nodded toward another egg, this one pale grey. “This one’s probably more your speed. It’s the Antipodean Opaleye. Know anything about this one?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head, mostly clueless when it came to dragons. She knew there were a lot of different breeds, but they were basically all the same to her — large predators that breathed fire and could probably kill you within seconds. Regardless of the fact that they were used in the Triwizard Tournament, Caitlin wouldn’t even dream of going anywhere near the creatures. These eggs were probably as close as she was going to get.

“It’s got a milder temper,” he admitted. “This breed don’t kill unless it’s hungry and it usually preys on sheep or the occasional large mammal.”

He reached under the counter and pulled out a photo, handing it to her. Caitlin took it from him, managing a small smile as she tucked some hair behind her ear and gazed down at it. She was surprised by how beautiful the creature was. As the dragon moved, the pearly scales shined brightly in the sunlight, its glittering multicolored eyes entrancing.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

“Thought you’d like that one,” the shop owner mused. “That one and the Common Welsh Green are the easiest to train, but the Welsh don’t like humans much. Its roar is a thing of beauty though.”

“Which one’s your favorite?” she questioned, glancing up at him shyly.

“Ah,” he hummed, motioning her toward a vivid crimson egg with little specks of gold littering the shell. It was the egg sitting closest to the shop’s front counter, sitting proudly on a gold pillow. “That’d be the Chinese Fireball. It’s got a hell of a temper, but it’s beautiful. Make one of these beauties mad and it’ll blow mushroom-shaped flames out of its nostrils. They’re a bitch to train, but a lot of fun.”

Caitlin smiled as she watched him talk so animatedly about the dragon. “You really enjoy these things, don’t you?”

He glanced at her, wild eyes softening. “Couldn’t imagine doin’ anything else.”

A bang on the front door interrupted them and Caitlin jumped, turning toward the two idiots screaming her name and fogging up the glass.

“Think yer friends wanna talk to ya,” he grunted.

She ducked her head and laughed. “Yeah.”

He observed her, watching the color that settled over her cheeks when she blushed. “You should come back next time they let ya out of the castle.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

He nodded toward the back room. “A few eggs should be hatchin’ by then. You could get a glimpse of ‘em before I ship ‘em off to be trained. I’ll let ya meet the Antipodean.”

Caitlin looked down at the picture in her hand, running her finger over the rigid edge. “I don’t know...”

“I won’t let it hurt ya,” he promised.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, she nodded. “Well...okay.”

He smiled, offering her his hand. “The name’s Mick, by the way.”

“Caitlin,” she greeted.

“Caitlin!” Cisco screamed from outside, sticking his lips to the window. “Caitlin!”

Caitlin’s blush deepened and she laughed despite herself, pushing her hair out of her face. “I should go before he starts licking the glass or something.”

Mick frowned at the idea, but managed a small smile when she waved goodbye. He nodded in farewell and went back to shining the eggs, glancing over his shoulder to watch her leave the shop.

Caitlin pushed through the gaggle of underaged wizards that swarmed her as she went outside, all of them spewing questions, and she rolled her eyes, pushing past them to walk down the street. Cisco and Barry scrambled after her.

“How was it?” Barry questioned.

“Yeah,” Cisco added eagerly, bumping her shoulder. “Did any of the eggs move or start to hatch? Were there any baby dragons? Was that guy a dragon wrestler?”

She shot him an incredulous look. “A dragon wrestler?”

He shrugged. “Hey! It could be a thing!”

She rolled her eyes. If it was, it was a _dumb thing_.

As she walked with them back to the castle and filled them in on some of what she learned — information that quickly bored them because _they knew that stuff already, Caitlin —_ she couldn’t help imagining what her next trip into Hogsmeade would be like. She hadn’t had any intention of ever encountering one of those dragons, not after they hatched anyway, but somehow she’d made plans to actually _meet one_. She might even actually _hold one_. The thought surprised her. And if her interaction with the shop owner — with _Mick_ — was any indication, she believed she’d be spending a whole lot more time with dragons than she ever imagined. Maybe...maybe learning more about dragons wouldn’t be _so bad_.


End file.
